Thursdays with Friends

I still feel that I need to do something every day and make the day mean something. A friend asked me, with concern, “Can’t you take a day off or read a book?” Maybe on a beach in some distant land, but I feel like every day filled with things to do and learn is a gift. Perhaps I will slow down and relax someday (maybe reading on a distant beach or sitting in a chair, sipping a drink on the porch in New Orleans), but now I think there is much to do. Thank you for asking!

My father, Bob, rose every morning to see the sunrise. “There are only so many left,” he told me. All these new things and some familiar ones make my day feel fulfilled. Someday, they will stop, and someday I will be slowed by age and proud to just watch a show, eat something, and remember the days when I wrote this blog. Thank you for reading!

On other challenges, Grammarly continues to rewrite my writing with correct but differently meaning sentences that, while grammatically correct, are inconsistent with my sentence’s original thought and words. I have to rewrite more than before; it is too easy to update by clicking the new incorrect version. Yikes! It is at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence (AI) and reassures me that we are much further from the singularity than some writers think.

Thursday started with me rising after 7. It was a warm, sunny day, and I had rolled over a few times to resist the bright sun trying to reach my vampire moment. I welcomed the morning, shaking off undead thoughts of pulling up the covers and hiding from the sun. The coffee was waiting for me, liberal fair-traded, and soon I had a cup, breakfast of toast with peanut butter and banana, and walked to the office to start my electronic AI-enhanced life. Grammarly revised my words to be more correct (and often less clear). My transactions were pattern-matched by an AI model I helped to create in Quicken (and likely my work was lifted and shared internally to make their product better), my searches all AI (now SwissCow and not Google, thank you), and Alexa answering my questions about the weather. Yes, an AI-filled morning. I did have to override Quicken twice, Alexa was confused a few times, and let’s not even talk about Grammarly. I think we are still safe.

Aside: I imagine a Terminator loaded with this technology, and our hero, Howard, using a double negative to defeat the AI running the SciFi death machine. Or maybe a few quotes from Monty Python. “Now that is done, maybe a stop to get a taco in Portland,” would be his reaction to the pile of destroyed silver-colored tech.

Feeling more like myself and finding my groove, I wrote 1900 words, and I did not feel exhausted when I finally finished at nearly 11. I took breaks for food, walking in the grass in the warm sun, and other needs. It was a nice morning.

I quickly showered and all that and then boarded Air VW the Gray to travel across Beaverton to Cedar Hills McMenamins. I met Scott for lunch at 11:45, and we talked about investments, AI, travel, and a few other topics. This is our weekly meeting, and we enjoyed a burger (Scott’s non-meat and with a salad, and mine with meat, bacon, blue cheese, and fried). Scott has found some interesting Europe-based mining companies he bought at the Trump-dip with a good dividend. I noticed my US Bank Wealth Management group investing me in load funds, but using institutional versions that are not available to the individual investor, are low-expense, no-load, and high-yield. Interesting.

After that, I took the EV home and napped for a bit. My usual response to beer and lunch.

I remembered to put out the trash and other containers. I don’t know if this is recycling or lawn waste week, but I put it all out. I carried the collected cardboard, cans, and bags to the recycling, uncluttering the house. I also fold and put away the laundry. The house looks more ordered now. We all know it is an illusion; American homes junk-a-fy without effort.

Yesterday, I made milk bread, white bread with milk powder, using the bread machine with some milk powder. It is a softer loaf, and the powder resists bread mold. I made toast from it. I tossed the wheat bread as it was getting old. I had that for breakfast today.

I discovered rust on the roses, and it was worse now. Looking on the web, I then took my cutters and alcohol and cut away the rust-poisoned canes, about half of the rose bush’s growth for the Spring. I cleaned the cutters often and between plants and washed my hands. The rust-poisoned canes were put in the trash. Next, I popped over to Ace and looked for sprays.

Some had warnings that would not have me use them as paint, let alone as rose sprays! Do not use near food, pets, children, or areas in use. Do not use on seed plants. Do not use unless appropriately dressed. Yikes! I then saw neem oil and went for that. It is not a super deadly chemical, not likely to cause the next zombie invasion or an Audrey 2, and it works by drowning the rust. Spray it on in a well-shaken bottle once a week. There! Done! Fits my usual lawn care thoughts, which is not to use harsh items in care for my lawn (dig out a weed, don’t spray it).

With the roses less rusty and missing some buds, sadly, I think that might help. I will monitor, spray, and clip as needed. It’s the first time I have faced rust that I remember. It is on two older-style roses (the old school tea rose that came with the house and is likely older than me, and the bourbon rose) with no sign elsewhere.

With the roses done, I return to a board game from GameFound that I have ignored, Age of Steam, Deluxe Edition. I reread the rules, and have played a game like this at Richard’s that I think is a version of the same system, 18xx, but revised closer to a Euro and worker placement. Many operations loved in a more train/market 18xx are abstracted now. I could play it on a Wednesday (many 18xx games have unlimited duration).

I punch it and discover that the replacement tracks are transparent, but all 114 are covered with a transparent film. I start to remove it. I will do this over time, as this is a tedious task and takes time for each piece.

Next, I meet Dondrea and Z for dinner at Nonna Emilia Ristorante Italiano, an old-school American-Italian place with even the plastic grapes stapled to the walls. I get a planter for my birthday from them that we get in Air VW the Gray with some effort.

Dinner was good. Dondrea and Z split a plate of clams and pasta. I had sausage with grilled onions and peppers and a side of spaghetti with meat sauce. It has been months since we have had dinner, and it feels good to just relax and let someone bring us food while we chat.

With the happiness of good company, food, and drinks, we went out separate ways. I returned home in the EV, and put the planter out. Looks good.

I spent the rest of the night reading more about the board game. I went to bed about 10:30, but some chocolate I had enjoyed made sleep hard to find. The house was 71F, and blankets were unwelcome. Eventually, sleep found me.

Thanks for reading!